"I am a leaf on the wind; watch me soar"
Nicely done, Serenity; I saw the film on Friday night, after I realized I hadn’t been to a movie since the end of August. I was an utter newbie, never having seen the original show Firefly, but went to Serenity on the vociferous advice of many people I trust. I’m not (as we geeks say) “having a geekgasm” over it - the movie didn’t truly grab me until its second half, when the drama really kicks in and the stakes for the heroes become huge - but there’s a lot to impress.
I love how the film takes unexpected twists and turns from the opening sequence onward, playing tricks with both the visuals and the soundtrack that would seem almost experimental if they weren’t effective. (Just the film’s first nine minutes give you hundreds of years of history, a glimpse into the dreams and memories of a psychic - and possibly psychotic - main character, a neat fight/escape, and a glimpse of the film’s philosophy - which you don’t really realize is its philosophy until much later. Compare what kid-River says at school to what Mal says to the Operative at the climax.) Yes, there’s a LOT going on, and kudos to writer-director Joss Whedon for pulling off the feat. He’s knocked me out before (especially with the Buffy episode “The Body”); parts of Serenity knocked me out, too. I’m liking the film better as I write about it more. “I’m gonna show you a world without sin…”
In a very heterosexual-but-still-appreciative way, I’m in love with Alan Tudyk’s character Wash. This entry’s title is one of his key lines. It’s his mantra, in fact, at, shall we say, a stressful time.
Plus, hey, like most of Whedon’s other projects, the film’s full of sexy people. Always a bonus.
I love how the film takes unexpected twists and turns from the opening sequence onward, playing tricks with both the visuals and the soundtrack that would seem almost experimental if they weren’t effective. (Just the film’s first nine minutes give you hundreds of years of history, a glimpse into the dreams and memories of a psychic - and possibly psychotic - main character, a neat fight/escape, and a glimpse of the film’s philosophy - which you don’t really realize is its philosophy until much later. Compare what kid-River says at school to what Mal says to the Operative at the climax.) Yes, there’s a LOT going on, and kudos to writer-director Joss Whedon for pulling off the feat. He’s knocked me out before (especially with the Buffy episode “The Body”); parts of Serenity knocked me out, too. I’m liking the film better as I write about it more. “I’m gonna show you a world without sin…”
In a very heterosexual-but-still-appreciative way, I’m in love with Alan Tudyk’s character Wash. This entry’s title is one of his key lines. It’s his mantra, in fact, at, shall we say, a stressful time.
Plus, hey, like most of Whedon’s other projects, the film’s full of sexy people. Always a bonus.
